On the carriage.
Tianyun and her cousin squeezed together on the left, while Xie Wuyun sat on the right. The two exchanged names and became acquainted. Xie Wuyun then said familiarly, "The Hundred Flowers Banquet is about to begin this year. Have you heard?"
The ladies of high society are all talking about this right now, and she's the most gossipy when it comes to such a battle of the gods. Moreover, in her eyes, Tianyun, who came in first place in the last painting quiz, is a dark horse who has been accumulating strength for a long time, a powerful dark horse capable of challenging the Hundred Flower Fairy!
She planned to encourage Tianyun to participate in the competition.
Before Tianyun could speak, her cousin interjected with longing, "The Hundred Flowers Banquet sounds very lively, is it related to appreciating flowers and composing poems?"
If it were a flower festival or poetry society, many talented men and women would surely gather together.
She was Tianyun's cousin, so Xie Wuyun didn't want to neglect her and explained to her, "The Hundred Flowers Banquet is a competition that announces the arrival of the entire capital. All the noble ladies of the capital will attend. They compete in dances and martial arts contests, showing off their talents. It's a very lively event and the most anticipated event of the year."
Tianyun raised his sleeve and took a sip of peach blossom wine. It seemed that this Hundred Flowers Banquet was famous far and wide, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a national event.
"All the noble ladies in the capital will attend the banquet, so wouldn't it be difficult to determine a winner?" Shangguan Jingyi said with some longing.
When will she be able to be called a noble lady?
"It's not difficult to determine the winner. Last year's Hundred Flower Fairy was Miss Mu Yaozhi. She was fifteen years old when she first participated in the competition. Now she is only sixteen years old and has won the first place for two consecutive years. That is to say, she has never lost a competition since she started participating."
Shangguan Jingyi's eyes showed envy: "So amazing?" Someone who can stand out among noble ladies must be extraordinary. If I could befriend her, I wouldn't have to worry about those young masters' eyes not lingering on me.
Xie Wuyun lifted her eyelids: "Miss Mu is indeed very talented. Next to her is Princess Xinhui, who is also Prince Qi's adopted daughter who was raised by his side since childhood. The Second Prince has liked to hang around Prince Qi since he was a child. In a way, Princess Xinhui and the Second Prince can be considered childhood sweethearts."
Another woman connected to Xiao Ziyan; one wonders if she, too, has fallen for his robes.
Tianyun remained unmoved, quietly watching the peach blossom wine warming on the small stove. The rich, delicate fragrance of peach blossoms filled the carriage, quite pleasant. Upon hearing this, she merely glanced sideways and asked, "The second place isn't Yu Shanlai?"
Xie Wuyun broke off half a piece of almond shortbread and put it in her mouth: "Miss Yu's votes in the preliminary round were far less than those of Princess Xinhui, so she only got third place."
"We need to vote?" Shangguan Jingyi paused, then asked, "What are the competitions at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, and how are the votes calculated?"
"The first round is a dance competition. His Majesty is obsessed with singing and dancing, so his subordinates have also catered to his tastes by setting the first round as a dance competition. Only one hundred people can be selected, so the competition is quite fierce."
"Nearly a hundred people? That's a lot." She was puzzled.
Xie Wuyun raised her eyebrows and said, "Don't you think about it? Noble ladies from all over the capital will gather here. The scene will be like mountains and seas! Selecting only a hundred people is a very small number. Moreover, the first round of voting is purely a matter of wealth. The number of roses and silk flowers will be used as the basis. Ten taels of silver can buy a single silk flower and give it to the dancer you favor."
The difference in votes in the first round is often precipitous; it's not uncommon for the difference between the first and second place to be tens of thousands of votes.
This novel way of playing reminded Tianyun of modern live streaming, where female anchors connect and compete, and viewers frantically send gifts and rewards. Isn't it the same principle?
A scene suddenly flashed through her mind. Mu Yaozhi danced and shouted to the audience, "I'm going to dance for you guys today, everyone, get your little roses ready!"
She was startled by her own imagination, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and coughed a few times to regain her composure.
Remembering an amusing incident, Xie Wuyun recounted with relish: "Countless wealthy merchants and magnates have spent lavishly to ensure their daughters make it onto the Hundred Flowers List. Hence, it is jokingly said among the common people that being listed on the Hundred Flowers List is the key for young ladies to marry into high-ranking and wealthy families!"
This is a well-known event that attracts worldwide attention.
Those who make it onto the list of beauties not only shine among noble ladies, but also have the opportunity to be noticed by high-ranking officials and nobles, and their rise to prominence is just around the corner. Therefore, wealthy merchants and tycoons are quite willing to go to great lengths to escape their lowly status.
A banquet of a hundred flowers could bring such enormous benefits! Tianyun then thought of Qin Yuwei, who ranked sixteenth but was allowed to visit the Hall of Famous Paintings.
The Hall of Famous Paintings is under the jurisdiction of the royal family, so how could a pass be issued so casually? It is likely that the person behind the Hundred Flowers Banquet wields immense power and is a close confidant of the emperor. Otherwise, how could the imperial family stand idly by and let this golden bowl go unchecked?
Mentioning Yu Shanlai, Lingqi bluntly said, "No wonder it's said that Miss Yu's votes in the first round were far less than Princess Xinhui's. The Qi Prince's Mansion is very wealthy, while Miss Yu still has to rely on her half-sister in the clan to provide jewelry and headwear. Naturally, she can't compare in terms of money!"
"shut up!"
Why can't this little girl learn her lesson? Tianyun scolded her sternly.
Although the news had spread throughout Kyoto, damaging Yu Shanlai's reputation and shattering her image as a benevolent and charitable person, the outsider Shangguan Jingyi remained unaware, gossiping about her behind her back. Who knows what other malicious schemes she might be plotting?
However, she was overthinking it. Shangguan Jingyi was lost in his own thoughts and didn't hear what Lingqi said. The Hundred Flowers Banquet was a good opportunity for her to shine, but singing and dancing were not her forte. Due to years of hard work, her waist was already as stiff as stone. Who would be willing to spend a lot of money to get her... It seemed that she had no hope of making it to the semi-finals.
Tianyun took a small sip of wine, and two rosy blushes crept onto her cheeks.
Judging from this, Qin Yuwei's dancing is quite remarkable. She had inquired and learned that the Qin family patriarch was extremely stingy and would never give her money to force her to perform. It must have been purely due to audience donations, so her skill was not to be underestimated. Liu's arrogance was not without reason.
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